Generous

My thoughts are running wild with the bomb Andrius just conveniently dropped after I got in his car. We were far from done talking, but it would have to wait until we arrived because I needed time. The rest of the car ride went by in silence. Was it uncomfortable? For him maybe, but not for me. I’m not the one in the hot seat and I’m not feeling generous enough to reassure him. I might be being petty, but I’m not the one with a hot brunette bimbo waiting at home for me. Okay, that was mean. I may or may not have meant it. I don’t know what she looks like and she’s probably a good person, but I’m not in the right head space to be nice right now because she thinks she’s mating with my man and that has my hackles rising. I don’t share. That may be hypocritical of me, but I don’t. I won’t be sharing Andrius or Levi. I’m not a violent person, but whoever these women are.. they’ll see a side of me no one has seen before.

My body tensed as his hand wrapped around mine. Inhaling, it felt like I was sucking air in through a straw. My shoulders were hunched, and I had to force them down. My gaze followed his arm, biceps, and neck until our eyes met. His gray ones begged me not to leave. Even though I was upset with him, he hadn’t said anything to make me stop all of this. It felt like my heart burst with the freedom I felt in this moment. I had a choice and I know it was the bare minimum, but it felt good. Not only that, I was in control of this situation. I was proud of myself for standing up for myself.

The man I’d swam with in the lake, who listened to my story, was the same man who shared me with Levi. Images flashed through my mind as my cheeks flamed. His eyes dipped. His lip lifted at the corner of his mouth a second before he faced the road again. I let out the breath I hadn’t known I was holding, turned my hand palm up, and held his hand. His dark hair was so different from Levi’s but just as gorgeous. I’ve known Levi all my life. I needed to get to know Andrius more and that’s what my goal was for this trip. We had something here and I wouldn’t let his past get in the way. Even if it wasn’t that far in the past. He said there was no one and even though everything in me screamed to run, Andrius had done nothing to hurt me.

I… I needed to trust him until he proved I couldn’t. I would not let him suffer for something someone else had done to me. Goddess. That was the last thing I wanted. But I wouldn’t let another man walk over me the same way Dylan had. I’d learned my lesson and while I didn’t feel like the same person anymore, I was braver—stronger.

We turned on a road and even under the blanket of night; I knew this was it. We’d arrived. After we drove up a mile-long driveway lined with hedges that reached the window, we came to a stop at a sky-high black gate. Two large statues sat on both sides and tall walls stretched out as far as the eye could see. More soldiers than I could count and a small four walled building was the only thing out here. They dipped their head as we approached and the gate swung open. Andrius lifted my hand to his lips, and he pressed a kiss to my wrist.

“Welcome home,” he murmured.

My heart flip-flopped in my chest as the car rolled forward. I’m happy he was no longer looking at me because my vision was blurry at his words. My heart squeezed. Quickly, I blinked the tears away and looked forward. The road continued forward, but instead of hedges, trees lined the expansive driveway. They reached upward and blocked the moon. Streams of light filtered through and gave this view an ethereal look.

Silver Moon pack was breathtaking.

Eventually, when we arrived in front of the packhouse, if you could call it that, he parked in front of the largest building beneath a canopy. This one stood out amongst the surrounding brick buildings with cute windows and little towers. This one had a white exterior with white framed windows, and decks with black wired railings outside of almost all of the windows on the second floor. Flowers decorated the landscape.

There were lights scattered around, but it was pretty late, and no one was in sight. My door opened, and that’s when I realized Andrius had already gotten out. He offered me his hand, and I took it. Stepping out of the car, I scanned the area. To our left, there was a large water fountain with four wolf statues that had water coming out of their mouth. A larger statue—a moon—connected them on top. That’s when I noticed that, unlike at the gate, there weren’t any soldiers.

“Where are your men?” I asked.

“There aren’t any soldiers inside the wall,” he said.

“Why? Wait… the wall? Are you saying the wall at the gate wraps around your entire packhouse?” I asked.

“No, not the entire packhouse. It wraps around the entire territory. The walls are high enough that no rogue can jump in and my soldiers are stationed all the way around to keep my people safe and to ensure no one climbs over. My pack, my people, and my home are protected. As to why, I had them built after I took over. It seemed logical,” he said with a shrug.

“Logical?” I whispered.

“Yes, now let’s go in. I want to show you our home.” He slid my hand into the crook of his arm and walked toward the door. Holding it open for me, I walked in first and my jaw dropped.